The Winnipeg Jets have placed defenceman Toby Enstrom on the injured reserve list with a lower-body injury and recalled Tucker Poolman from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.

NASHVILLE – It was bound to happen sooner or later, that’s just a hard fact of life for most teams in the NHL.

Injuries are a part of the game and the Winnipeg Jets had been blessed on the back end this season with mostly good health.

Sure, Dustin Byfuglien missed a pair of games with a lower-body issue and Dmitry Kulikov sat out two games with a knee problem, but other than that, the Jets had been fortunate to avoid any long-term setbacks.

Until now.

On Sunday, the Jets placed blue-liner Toby Enstrom on the injured reserve list and he’s expected to be out eight weeks with what the team is calling a lower-body injury.

“He’s been great all year, playing really well. Any time you lose a guy that eats up a lot of minutes like him it’s going to be tough,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler told reporters on Sunday. “It’ll be an opportunity for some guys to step up. It’s kind of what needs to happen. There are going to be injuries throughout the year.”

Enstrom suffered the injury during the second period of Sunday’s 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils when he got tangled up in front of the net with forward Jesper Bratt.

Enstrom fell awkwardly to the ice and was unable to put any weight on his right leg as he was helped to the dressing room.

Before the period was over, Enstrom returned to action, taking a pair of shifts but he didn’t come out for the third.

And now he’s out long-term and the Jets must band together to pick up the slack.

“Obviously injuries happen. We saw the tough end of that last year,” Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey told reporters. “You just have to adapt. You can’t replace Toby’s experience and what he brings. But at the same time other guys have to step up.

“(Chiarot) or (Poolman) or whoever gets into that spot, they’re great players as well. Like I said, the other guys, we just have to step up and take over some of those minutes (Enstrom) plays and hope that Toby recovers soon and gets healthy as fast as possible.”

The Jets, who are riding a four-game winning streak and are second in the Central Division with a record of 12-4-3, open a four-game road trip on Monday against the Nashville Predators.

Enstrom has two assists in 19 games this season and is averaging 16:38 of ice time, playing primarily with Byfuglien.

“It’s definitely tough. He’s a big part of our team, so it just means we got to step up by committee,” Jets centre Mark Scheifele told reporters. “We’ve got a lot of good (defencemen) back there.”

In the short term, one would expect Ben Chiarot to draw into the lineup on Monday against the Predators.

Chiarot has been limited to one game this season, but he was effective in that outing, playing 16:06 alongside Tyler Myers.

The Jets have also recalled Tucker Poolman from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.

Poolman got into three games with the Jets earlier this season after a strong pre-season and he’s chipped in one assist in seven games with the Moose.

But he’s just getting over a flu bug, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jets head coach Paul Maurice go with experience in Monday’s Central Division match-up.

“Yeah, for a few of the games I had some kind of, I don’t know what it was, some kind of flu thing or a stomach issue. Feeling good now,” Poolman told reporters. “After not playing for a couple weeks, it was nice to definitely play some games. It was good. I got to play in all situations, on the (power play), the (penalty kill) and (five-on-five).”

Much like the competition up front is heating up with the Jets returning to full health among the forwards, the absence of Enstrom leaves a void to fill – with both Chiarot and Poolman eager to show they’re up for the challenge. “It’s a great opportunity for them to step into the lineup and contribute,” said Wheeler. “We obviously have a good thing going. You want those guys to come in and make a seamless transition. Guys that have been chomping at the bit to get back in, so there will be a lot of excitement for them.”

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